Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 429, Section 427: Rocket Development, Elite Air Squadron Flies to Yan'an
Fang Wen began developing individual rocket launchers.

Before designing weapons, it is necessary to conduct a survey of the armored vehicles currently used by the Japanese army.

He has all this data, all of which are based on his own battlefield experience and information obtained through intelligence channels.

Currently, the Japanese army uses three types of tanks in China.

Type 92 ultralight tank, Type 95 light tank, and Type 97 medium tank.

Among them, the Type 92 ultralight tank can be basically ignored. Its armor is only 6 millimeters thick, its protection is poor, and it is easy to destroy.

There wasn't even a periscope inside the car, resulting in large blind spots.

Aside from its speed of up to 40 kilometers per hour and its agile handling, it has no tactical value.

Explosive charges, small-caliber artillery, and even the grenade launchers that Fang Wen withdrew from, all used high-explosive shells, could penetrate the defenses.

(Japanese Type 92 ultralight tank)
The Type 95 light tank is a replacement for the Type 92 light tank and is currently the most widely used light tank on the Chinese battlefield.

Weighing over 7 tons, with armor protection of 6-12 millimeters, it is also considered a thin-skinned tank.

It was equipped with two Type 97 7.7mm heavy machine guns, and later a 37mm cannon was added. However, when facing the Chinese army, which had no anti-tank weapons, it became a nightmare for the infantry.

Fang Wen had seen this tank many times and had even commanded the Taishan Pine medium tank to destroy several of them.

(Japanese Type 95 light tank)

The Type 97 medium tank weighs 15 tons. Compared to the Taishan Pine medium tank and the Soviet medium tanks in Europe, it can only be considered a light tank.

Its armor is 8 to 33 millimeters thick, and the sides are specially fitted with hardened armor, so its protective ability is not bad.

Its firepower consisted of a 57mm short-barreled cannon and two 7.7mm heavy machine guns.

In Nanjing and Taierzhuang, these medium tanks were important offensive and defensive equipment for the Japanese army.

Fang Wen still remembers the scene when those three tanks blocked the National Army's offensive during the air raid on Taierzhuang.

(Japanese Type 97 medium tank)

Looking at the information, Fang Wen pondered.

As a new type of weapon system, rockets, with their long range, high speed, and great power, will effectively change the current combat situation.

But achieving this is much more difficult than using a rifle grenade.

To make small man-portable rockets, you have to make large rockets first. Only with overall design and manufacturing technology can you go from large to small.

This is a massive research project, not as simple as it seems.

And do countries of this era not conduct research in this area?
Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat.

My strengths are my special abilities and my memories of the future.

But if we don't have any knowledge about rocket manufacturing, can't we just get it from other countries?

He had his own way of doing things, and immediately sent a message to Paris via a high-powered radio device, and then from Paris to New York.

New York Taishan International Office Building.

Lin Shuiwang is currently in charge of the work.

With the large-scale procurement of goods, Taishan International's fleet of ships is insufficient for transportation. Therefore, it is in talks with new ocean freight shipping companies to charter their cargo ships for transport.

Simply renting a cargo ship isn't enough; you also need to send your own crew to the ship and hire security personnel.

He needs to handle these matters personally to feel at ease.

After a period of discussion, Lin Shuiwang finalized the lease for another cargo ship and saw off the shipping company's people with a big smile on his face.

He planned to take a break and then go to the cargo terminal warehouse to check on loading the newly arrived alloys, engines, parts, and other items onto the ship.

Before I could even sit down, a staff member from the company's telegraph office came over.

"President, a telegram from the East."

Lin Shuiwang was instantly wide awake and took the telegram to read it.

Go to Indiana and inquire about the current state of rocket technology in various countries.

After reading it, Lin Shuiwang immediately picked up the hat from the coat hanger, put it on, and instructed the company's department manager: "I have to go out. You will handle the cargo port. Remember to do a good job of checking the outbound shipments and make sure that the goods match the registration form when they are loaded onto the ship."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the company office building and hailed a taxi on the roadside.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped outside a residential area.

This is a typical white middle-class neighborhood, with detached houses with yards, lawns, and clean streets.

In addition, the community also has public green spaces and recreational facilities, such as parks and playgrounds, for residents' leisure and entertainment.

This is the kind of neighborhood that every successful New York family dreams of.

Indiana and his wife moved here earlier this year.

The funds were still paid by Lin Shuiwang through a complex cash delivery method.

He arrived at the newly painted white house and rang the doorbell.

The well-off woman opened the door.

“I remember you. You came to see my husband last time.”

"You have a good memory. I've come here again because I need to see him."

"He comes home at 4:50 every day. You can wait at home."

The hostess opened the door and let Lin Shuiwang into the room, then led him to the living room.

Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?

"Tea, thank you," Lin Shuiwang replied, then sat down on the sofa.

After a while, the woman came over with a teacup. There was a cotton thread on the rim of the teacup, which meant that she had brewed a cup of the currently popular tea bag.

"Wait here for a moment, he'll be back soon."

"Ok."

The woman then left the living room and continued playing a spelling game with her two children in the adjacent TV room.

Lin Shuiwang looked around the room. Although it was a new home, it was filled with various decorations, which fully showed the couple's love for this home.

He picked up the teacup, took the cotton thread, and let the tea bag soak fully in the hot water. The word 'Tetra' was displayed on the floating tea bag.

Ten minutes later, the door opened from the outside, and Indiana returned.

As soon as he entered the door, he habitually took off his uniform and hung it on the hanger, and gave his wife a cheek kiss to greet him.

The wife whispered, "An Asian friend is looking for you. He also looked for you at our old house last time."

Indiana immediately realized it was him, and he told his wife, "I'll go upstairs with him to talk."

After saying that, he walked into the living room and invited Lin Shuiwang to his study on the second floor.

The two went to the study, where Lin Shuiwang explained his purpose in the quiet room.

"The general manager sent me a telegram, asking me to consult you about the current status of rocket research in various countries."

"Rockets? Isn't he building airplanes?" Indiana asked in surprise.

"We at Taishan are preparing to enter the military industry to provide more high-quality military equipment to fight against invaders. Rockets are also one of our new projects," Lin Shuiwang replied. He was no longer the talkative sailor he once was, and his words were now very measured.

Indiana nodded. "He's a really energetic guy, you can never guess what he'll do. Okay, I can tell you."

"Please wait a moment, I need to write this down."

Lin Shuiwang took out a notebook and pen. Indiana lit a cigarette and said, "I know quite a bit about rockets. Back then, I was in charge of military intelligence gathering in Europe. It was a completely new field of military technology. It all started six years ago when the German Army proposed the possibility of using rockets as weapons and recruited Wernher Brünn and others to form a rocket research group. This intelligence was quickly leaked, and other countries also began similar research. The following year, the Soviet Union also established a rocket research institute to specifically study rocket weapons."

After a pause, Indiana continued, "Britain also began its research, and our army established a rocket research institute. According to me, the Soviet Union and Britain made significant breakthroughs in their research this year."

Lin Shuiwang interjected, "Could you elaborate on the research conducted by the Soviet Union and Britain?"

Indiana nodded: "The Soviet Union developed two types of air-to-ground rockets, 82mm and 132mm. They also developed a new launcher with rails that can launch multiple rockets in quick succession. The British also developed a 76mm anti-aircraft propellant rocket this year, which can be more effective against aircraft. That's all I know."

Lin Shuiwang copied the last sentence verbatim before stopping.

"Thank you. I will send this information to the general manager. If I need any further assistance, I will contact you again."

Indiana quickly shook his head: "No, your coming to my house will cause unnecessary trouble. How about this, we'll agree on a way to contact you. You dial this number, and when you get connected, just say the code is 136. That way, I can talk to you in a work capacity."

"What do you mean?" Lin Shuiwang asked, puzzled.

"This is my informant hotline. Different code names represent different informants. Only I know their identities. You can rest assured that this method will not expose our secrets and will make it easier to communicate."

After Indiana finished explaining, he saw Lin Shuiwang downstairs and left.

Watching Lin Shuiwang's departing figure, he muttered to himself, "Fang Wen, your war has already begun. But mine hasn't, and it will soon be in Europe too."

"What's coming soon?" his wife asked.

"Nothing much, what do you want to eat tonight?"

"Stewed potatoes with meat, pasta in white sauce, and pea soup."

"Okay, hearing about your recipe makes me hungry."

Indiana closed the door.

Yangon.

Fang Wen held the long telegram and examined it.

The information Lin Shuiwang sent back was very useful.

It turns out that Germany wasn't the only country developing the V2 rocket during this era; the Soviet Union also made progress.

The introduction of air-to-ground rockets in 82mm and 132mm calibers signified a major breakthrough for the Soviet Union in fighter jet weaponry.

As for the rocket launcher with rails, Fang Wen couldn't help but think of the most famous Soviet weapon later on, the 'Katyusha rocket launcher'.

Britain also developed anti-aircraft rockets.

These weapons, though they are all of the original level, are not what Fang Wen wants right now.

Moreover, obtaining information on these weapons would likely be extremely difficult.

He was looking at a passage on the telegram.

The United States also established a rocket research institute in 33, which was funded by the Army.

He recalled that the United States was probably the first to develop a man-portable rocket launcher, which was called something like the 'Bazooka' rocket launcher.

Could this thing have been developed by that American lab?

Fang Wen's heart stirred, and he sent another telegram to New York.

A day later, I received a call back.

This telegram contained relatively little information.

[It is reported that the U.S. Army has established a special research institute, appointing Army Captain Leslie Skinner as the lead designer, to study the feasibility of using small rockets by individual soldiers.]

[Our research has hit a bottleneck in recent years, with no significant results achieved.]

The main problems they encountered were related to range and accuracy, and the risk of engine explosion.

Fang Wen carefully read the telegram.

We learned about the development issues of the US individual rocket launcher.

Due to limitations in rocket engine performance and design flaws in the rocket, the bazooka is ineffective against long-range targets and has poor accuracy, making it difficult to hit the target.

Furthermore, during test firings, there were multiple incidents of rocket engines exploding inside the launch tube, causing bodily injuries to the test shooters and damage to the rocket launchers.

Both of these questions actually point to the rocket engine.

Fang Wen believes this is mainly due to the miniaturization of rocket engines, which makes it impossible for internal structural components to meet precision requirements.

If I had firsthand information, I should be able to solve the problem using my superpowers and X-ray vision.

If I were to go to the United States and obtain the relevant information, I could then deploy man-portable rockets—a crucial weapon—on the battlefield in the early stages of the War of Resistance against Japan.

Besides, wasn't he going to Europe to find new sources of aircraft engines and try to acquire their technology?

It seems it's time to go out and get both things done at the same time.

This time, however, Fang Wen went with the determination to succeed, and for that, he had to prepare everything.

For a trip to Europe and the United States.

Fang Wen prepared to fly a Xuanming-type long-haul seaplane to the destination.

This seaplane, with a maximum range of 5000 kilometers, can carry 20 passengers and 400 kilograms of cargo, making it the best choice for this trip.

Therefore, Fang Wen instructed the aircraft manufacturer to postpone the shipment to Pan Am this month, preparing to take it on its own.

The people traveling with them were also specially prepared; they were all soldiers from the Independent Regiment who had experienced the war.

In addition, Fang Wen also went to inspect the training of Eighth Route Army artillery and aircraft pilots and provided answers to the problems the trainees were currently encountering.

Besides these, he also needs to make arrangements for domestic matters.

mid-December.

Fang Wen returned to China.

After a long flight, the plane landed in Xi'an.

There, Fang Wen gathered seven elite pilots from Xiguan Airport.

Have you encountered any problems during this time?

Qi Baoqian, acting captain of the elite air force, replied, "Commander, at the beginning of the month, someone came to the airport wanting us to join the National Air Force. We firmly opposed it, and they came several more times afterward, but we refused each time. They haven't come these past two days."

Sure enough, they came to poach my men.

Fang Wen sneered inwardly.

He already has a plan for this.

"I'm here today to take you to the new flight base."

"Where to?" Rao Minghe asked.

“More than 200 kilometers to the north, to Yan’an,” Fang Wen replied.

The elite pilots reacted in different ways.

Qi Baoqian, Du Jiahuai, and Shao Deqing, all former Red Army soldiers, were naturally overjoyed at the prospect of going to Yan'an.

Others, in their daily lives, often heard them talk about the Red Army, and were not resistant to Yan'an.

But going there like that is definitely not an option; we need to contact them first and at least get a runway available for landing.

Fang Wen sent a telegram to Bai Yunfei, the special liaison assigned to him by the Eighth Route Army.

(End of this chapter)